sanders



(No Model.) 1 r 3 Sheets-:Sheet 2 R. H. SANDERS 8L C. T. THOMPSON.:Rosi-:ss 0F ANDMAGHINE F01; MAGNETIGSEPABATION.

' 'No.573145. Patented 13%',221y v1895.

INVENTORS, 4M n.)

`Uilnrun,YSiurrns-,

f ENT -g OFFI(3153?,i y

` RICHARD n.snnnnnsnn'nCHARLES `fr;fTrieinP-sen, OF=PI1 ILADE LBHTA,

i PENNSYLYA'NIA.

rft. viistetnssis OF AND MACHINE FORMAGNETIC SEPARATION. y

',.s1 nc 1n1enr1on arming bart of Letters retest No.57s,14s5, maDecember- 22,` 1'se6 mgybnrm' l .t Beit vrknown that We, RlCH` PII,SANDERS p and errantes-T. THourson;of rinadelphia,v

Pennsylvania, have invented a certain 'new 5 andV useful Process of andMachine for Magn'etic Separation, lwhereof the following isa.

specification. t t. l

L Y Although jeuri'process is of 4course;adapted v te separate andremove particles of paramagione'tic mater'4 l generally from a mixedmass',

we shall, t avoid prolixit'y of description, Ause theterm-Pfrea'stypica'lof said partir` lf`cle`s,the term ganguejias typicalofthenonf l Lparainagnetic material, and the term f stock?is;fttplfpne"subjected-tetreatment.-V

4'Qurimzjention is based upon the discovery thatvrhen an armature OfProper efficiency is placedin p1" mity to a magnetic pole in i 'fioricetj gapbetweemw ch'gap'sinot tirg lTas indieatingthe admixture ofthe twowhich he direct path of the inaximim iler? of Vlinesofforceunder. normalccnd'itions,"the magnetic eldformed tcros'sfsaid gap possesses a.character-pecul-` "5' iarly adapted fortheseparation' of O Ie from'gangue and forthe removal of the separated ore teau isolatedpointofdischarge.4`

Betere proceeding-,to describe ourinvention 1 in detail we will, tofacilitate the' explanation .Jo thereof, compare the behavior of,-param'agnetie particlesin an ordinaryniagnetic fieldl (or one whoselines of force' ilow without alonormal diversion through the air-spacebetween the two poles of amagn'et) withthe be# :L35 haviorofsuch-particles in a field whose lines of force are shunted and Without'undue condensation are definitely directed through an airspaceorgotherfgap by means of an efficient armature placed at ashort distancefrom the aopolescamagnet.A

Byl'the terni efticientdwe meanl that the armature (which, of course,iscomposed of material having a high conducting,r power for lines ofmagnetic force) shall have a su licient mature and willnet be divertedin snchnian'- ,11er as toprodne the best results.`

nted spacefor' 4ii'"ipplieatimi filed August 10, 1892. Serial)10.442,709, ille model.)`

Figures l and 2 of the accompanyingdrawings illustrate diagrammaticallythe charac t teristics of the two kinds .of lields` referred to withsufficientclearness--for the purposes efr"- such comparison.` i

I' Referring to Fig; 17 representsan crdi;-`

nary horseshoe-magnet having poles NS, reel, spectively, betweenandarou'nd which a mag'-,

-netic field extends. Il",- ironv` filings orv otherparamagneti'cmaterialin yp:u,ti el;es he introvduced into said lield,so` astopbeg arrested'jV therein againstthe action` of i gravity, thepar: ticle's .will cling tothe poles 4and bridge the interspacesubstantiallyin the manner in- '-dicated in saidggure. `In the gap'directly'- fbetweenthe poles the particles will be densely region olsmallermagnetic'y density they will 1 Ic-ling' te. the. surface ofthemagnet in substan- 'tially pyramidal heaps, as indicated at n s,

respectively. Although' this arrangement of the particles has aquasi-structural character, in that the particles arepolarized and clingto one another in masses of little chains,'yet i theircloseaggregationor agglomeration affords conditions highly unfavorablefor the Aseparationof ore from sangue,since,A when a mixed stock is fedinto said field,5a large 8eV i amount of the gangue will be mechanicallyentangledand detained withinthe mass of closely-interlockedparticles ofore. t

4Referring new to Fig. 2,' the behavior ef -paramagnetic particles in a.eld which has been shunted and definitely directed by lan Parallel toone leg r to the under surfacejof the poles is another armature A3, theintervening gap in `each instance `being-such` as to be readilytraversed bythe lines efforce from theproxiinate surface of the magnet.particles be introduced into the iields between lthe magnet andthearmatures, it .will be noted that said particles build themselves upnaturally into diused `striie suspended or restingnot only upon thesurface of the inag-h If now paramagneticl Ico -these strize ofpolarized particles are highly attenuated and are, moreover, diffusedlyarranged in substantial parallelism. lheconditions thus obtained are inthe highest degree favorable forthel separation of ore from the gangue,since if a mixed stock 'be `fed into the fields the particles of ore areat once suspended inthe attenuated strife justdescribed,

, tive. degrees to the horizon.' 65

while the gangue is permitted to readily drop out through thevsubstantially-regular inter-l stices between them, so that a minimumamount of l gang'ne is mechanically detained in the interior of thestrize.

As thus far described, the peculiar value of iheshuntcd field as4compared with a normal one has only been pointed out with reference topart. of-lhe work essential in magnet-ic separation.

i. In a practical process it is not only necesr sary to separate the orefrom the gan gue and permit the latter to escape, but itis alsonecessary( to vremove the orc from the region where separat ion hastaken place to a region of discharge isolated from thepatghwofmoutgoinggauge.

Our discovery of the properties of a shunted iield embraces also'certainfeatu res which are peculiarly available for effecting thc removal anddischarge of the separated ore. j

lf after the striation of the particles in the gap between the pole andthe armature the lat-ter be moved away from the pole, (or vice versa,)'a very large percentage of the striatcd material will'cling inpendulous lines to .the

process, liig, 3 being a side elevation of said apparatus andi-f'- l`ig. l a top or plan view thereof.

l5 .represents the base or standard, provided withbeai'ings IJ h for ashaft- O, rotatably mounted therein at an angle of about forty- Saidshaft has at its lower. end instand loose pulleys c c', respectively,and carries at its upper end arigidly-attached disk D, preferably ofsoft iron.

E E', represent the two legs of a horseshoe- "magnet, energized by meansof a toil EL upon the transverse portion which connects them and whichin Fig. 3 is supposed to be. .situated at the rear or side farthest'from the observer.

fllhe' magnet is supported upon thebaseplate l) in such relation to thedisk that the outer surface of the uppermost ,leg E is substantiallyparallel to the plane of the disk and at a (short distance therefrom,the outside edge of the leg being in alrilane'substanl:tially'tangential to the peripheryof the disk.

That portion of the disk which at'any given time is directly oppositetothe surface of the leg Ey constitutes the armature, and to have thehighest efficiency for the purposes of our invention the disk should beof such thicknessthat said portion shall be capable of l conductingwithin itself substantially all the4 lines of force whichit intersects.Should the vmetal of the disk be too thin, some of the lines of forcewill fail to be intercepted thereby 'and will find paths through the airor,

through otherportions of the disk not atthe' time in immediate proximityto the magnetleg,thus t-o a degree interfering with efficient action. Asthe disk is rotated successive; portions thereof become temporarily thearmature during their passage bythe region of immediate proximity tothemagnet-leg, thus obtaining an effect equivalent to that which would beproduced byan absolutely-continuo'us series of individual armaturessuccesh sively movedwthrough the field,- but withgut the variation in'direction and intcnsityof" dia )hracm or )late ll which extends downfrom the loxi'er edge of the leg E, also pro- Jecting beyond thereof andextending up.- ward', as indicated at il', on that side of the figurewhich is nearest the observer in Fig.

and which is al the bottom in Fig. t. Partitions i 1d, one or both ofwhich may be ad justable, divide the surface of the diaphragm intodistinct chutes, and a raised side or rim 7:?l extends along the extremeedge of the uinwardly-projecting portion ll of sai/l dia- The secondchute comprises that portion of fth'e surface ofthe'diaphragnill whichisbetween thepartitionsh h', while the third-chute comprisesthat-portion of said surface which isbetween the partit-ion It and-theoutside rim hz'f. j 7 V The conductof` the process by means'of theapparatusjust described is as followsgi'lhe magnet' isfcnergized `by acuri'entytropi any y suitable source, and the shaft C is rotated-ln thedireetionot the arrow Fig, 4;', ata 'fspced which is ofcourse to bevregulat ed in accord# aneewitlrthe'feed andcl-iara-ctpr ot' stock and.

; thefiartensityofthe'magnet. The stoclt'isintroducedinto `the hopper(l, and `is ted at a properratc upon the feed chute F, down` which itis` carried `liy-gra-t-'ity and discharged uponthe surfaceofthelmagnetS-leg; As soon y' as it .reaches the shun ted fieldintermediatey between the leg Eand the disk D AtheL-pai'ti` cles oforcare -detaine d ;and"commence to build themselves up `iii-th estri'ated'st'rlicturc above described, the gangue 'falling =between 'thei striaor at. temporarybreaks, therein and passingout into thechnteproridedfor it. i `'The 'greaternunibeij of `the stri'a, underfavorable conditions, will 'ex'tendiu continuity across from surfaceftosurface,`.bein g sup portedat one" end 'uponVthe magnet-leg and attheother end'upon the proximate surface 'of `.the disk, but even whenynot thus continu` r'ofttheirdetention 'and movement lalong'the vsurfaceof the maguct-leg'l any .particles of` gan'guewhich havetheretoforerfailed to es# cape are,disengagedandwfall into the chutebetween the partitions 71,111', togctherwith any smallpereenlageotftheore which n iaybe ac eide'ntally knocked -otlhefore t reaching theipointoflinal discharge. In some cases this intermediatechute will not befou-nd 'neeesf sary, but we nient-ion it as a convenient arrangement',since the tailings collected there- -byn1aybe of suliicient value to besubjected to a repetition of the process. Nearly all the separated oreis, however, carried in suspens ion entirely through the shunted iield,and

when that portion of thearmature to which thestrize cling emerges fromsaid field their "continuity with the particles clingingt'oithc magnetis broken. Avery large percentage of the particles, however, lcontinueto cling .to the surface lof the disk until after it has completelyemerged from said field, not bein g dislodged or dropping oit until theyare so t'ar from the region of force that when they fall they donotreturn thereto, but are received into thefoge-chute, which is betweenthe partitten., 13, and rim h2, whence they are discharged by gravityinto any suitable recep- The feed being continuous, new portions ofv oreparticles are constantlybcing carried in to take the place of .thosewhich 'our invention .by reas' discharged, Vsaid new portions'in manyinstances buildingy themsel'vesup upon the ends of those stritewliichhave beenl'eft within the field' clinging tothesurfaceof theinagriedaway bythe'armature. is a continuous on`e.'; l l l l Ilavingthusdescribed our invention, we

ont certain distinctions which exist between .our process and theprocessescarried -on L"I )y apparatus heretofore constructed ll'hel-e,as in sonic cases, thestockhas been y. .t y l wish, in order toavoid-"confusion, topointdirectly fed-@into "the-ordinaryor normal fieldf 'between two poles, [(either ofthe same 'mag-7 yneticeircuit oropposing-polesotdlterent c ii;cuijts',`)thegprocess lacksthe advantagesof A Y the fact that such intermediate lieldis ot hunted So as to disipose its lines-of -for'ce Vin' the proper manner to Vforni attenuatedand"regularlyarranged strife of polarized particles, andof the fur ither fact .that fthe conditions"l 'interfere with the'removalfof the oreL] Thusffin l'the appa ratus'of Letters Patent N `264,620 and othersof its typethe ore particles are suspended in a closely-condensed massdirectly across the path of the' outgoing' gangue, and when the outsidelayers of 'suspended ore: are broken .they `break along a line-which'isover the `ganguech utc, thus facilitating the accidental vdischarge ofore-.particles `along'with the gan gue. I'nour process, on the contrai'there is notendencyto condense' the striz'c `across the path oftheoutgoing ganglio.` "lheniovjeL -lioo l mentof the strire'in leaving saidpath is transverse Ythereto instead of ririaflirn therewith andthesitrize are noftseparat'ed from on'efotf theirsupports until theyhavepassed. to a comparatively remotepoint; 'l`li'esje1di`stinc* tions are;even more inarkedfwhen the coniparis/on' `is` made'ljettveeil4 ourinvent-ion and the inode Ofbperationof 4devicesfwhiclrtend degree Lbeyond thenoi-nial maximum" intenl .sity'ofcondcnsationby means ofanarn'i ure placed directly in the path of 'maxininnifout Again; inapparatus which sep s in i unused or empathie@lordinary'seni-.be tweentwo stationary poles moving plates and Scrapers orequivalent devices areemployed. to carry charge. l

Our discovery that the armature not only has the power to shunt anddelinitely direct the lield, but also `to carry away therefrom thestriated material still in suspension,'enablcs us to accomplish theremoval otth'c orey upon an entirely .dilie'rcntprinciple, simpler 'andniuch more eliectivc than where such intermediate carrying anddislodging devicesare employed,

A still more obvious di-lterenee exists l`1e" tween our process and theinethodof separation indicated inLctters Patent N3. 00,317

ateslth'e ore the separated orc to a point otdisn-v and others of itsclass, wherein the ore is not detained within the licld, but is merelyde- `Iiected from its normal trajectory as it fallsl through a magneticeld. llostratiouv and suspension of ore particles ofcourse could occurunder such conditions.

In the foregoing specification wehave pointed out an element-ary thoughtypical form'of `apparatus as adapted to the conduct of our process, butwe Wish it to be understood that We do not restrict our claim totheexact conditions found in theuse of the ap paratus specified.'llrs'instead of y relying upon gravity to eHect the 'introduction ofstock and removal of the ganglio and ore'ot-her means used in this classof machines may be substituted, such as, for instance, currents of airor Water, dac.

. the surfaces of both oreitherinay be covered or protected withoutdepartingfrom the spirit of our-invention, all these being detailswhich-v arel not 'essential to the underlying principles upon whichourjprocess depends. Furthermore, in usingthe term armature i to desig-`nate`A the element ot kthe apparatus which shunts. the fieldI andremoves the ore thereg. 'fromlafter separation we do not necessarilyrestrict ourselves to 'anelllmtme which Epe" until La point may bereached se absolutely devoidof polarity. Although We prefer that:the'magnetismof said armature should be'only due to induction from themagnet whose field it is intended to shunt,l such condition isnotessential to the operation. v f

To the-'extent that the armature possesses individual polarity'itsecien'c ,ing of the ieldutilized by our inventibn and to distinguishVsuch 'field from those .wherein the linesof'force are'unduly condensedabout an axis off'maXimum intensity, Whether such undue condensationloemerely the normal one of said iieldor Whether it be enhanced by soplacing an armature as'to cause the convergence of more than the normalnumber of lines l The form of the magnet and of the armature may alsobevaried andI cisternas- 1. ver@ it' prac:-

ft o f 573,485

' toward and'about the axis of maximum density. It must of course beunderstood that We 'do not by the use of such Word imply that.substantial parallelism and that no"g dispersion, properly so called,takes place. We claiml l. The hereinbefore-described process of magneticseparation, which cons-istsy in feeding stock into a diffusedly-shuntedfleld .between amagnet and a movingl armatureof substantially continuousmass; conducting' the'ore through said. fieldsuspended insti-iaisupported at the end farthest from the mag net, and thereby delaying thepassage-of the ore through the iield; permitting the-gangue to escapeduring the period of delayed conl veyance'; removing 'the ore from thefield still 'relation to the magnet to produce a diiusedl yshunted.field-of .substantially unvarying iutensity and direction, and therebyadapted to convey` ore through said iield While delaying,`

the passage of such ore through the` same; means substantially as setforth for presenting in continuity successive portions of the massiefsaidj conductor to said iield; a feedjing. device arrangedin thedescribed relation to said'fi'eld'g* al delivery-chutejfor gangue aryranged inrelation to said field substantially asset forth; and adelivery-chute for'ore lead-` -v ing 'trompa point beyond the limit ofvsaid l field vwhereby the stock is definitely delayedy butgconveyedthrough said field; the escape ofthe gangue. is permitted'during theperiodv ofdelayed conveyance', and the ore` is removed ,y

from the -field, substantially as set forth.4 RICHARD4 'I-I. sANDrzns.

CMAS. .'l.V THOMPSON.

, Witnesses:

' yJAMEsI-I. BELL,

E. .Russa

